Former Karchevan Head Charged With Official Forgery

The investigation department of the RA Investigative Committee is actively engaged in investigative and procedural actions related to the criminal case regarding the former head of the Karchevan community in the Syunik province, who is accused of committing official forgery in the process of allocating land plots for the establishment of a free economic zone in Meghri.

Preliminary data indicate that the former head of the Karchevan community, acting as a public official and motivated by personal interests, organized the auction for the sale of community-owned land plots while violating the requirements of the RA law on 'Public Auctions' and the RA Government decision No. 286 dated April 12, 2001. Without organizing an auction, he prepared counterfeit official documents regarding the proceedings and results of the auction, based on which approximately 32 hectares of agricultural land belonging to the community were transferred to a private company.

The investigation has also gathered information that the former head of the Karchevan community, driven by personal interests and with the intention of later selling the properties at a higher price for profit, again violated the aforementioned laws without organizing an auction. He crafted false official documents regarding the proceedings and outcomes of the auction, based on which land plots measuring 0.44672 hectares, 0.29718 hectares, and 0.63508 hectares were transferred to his brother-in-law, who represented his interests.

Based on sufficient evidence obtained during the investigation, on April 11, 2019, the former head of the Karchevan community was charged under Article 314 of the RA Criminal Code (two episodes).

Considering that the preliminary investigation has established violations of the requirements of the RA law regulating public auctions and the RA Government decision No. 286 dated April 12, 2001, it has been found that the applications for participation in the auction were prepared and presented to the signatories with backdated dates. No public auctions were conducted as such; however, false minutes of the auction and counterfeit decisions of the head of the Karchevan community were prepared, signed, and circulated. The responsible authority submitted a proposal to the Minister of Territorial Administration and Development of the RA to initiate the annulment of the six transactions carried out in violation of the law and other legal acts, and to return the property units to the municipality's balance.